Pepsi has confirmed that it will launch a new advertisement during Super Bowl LX, which will be held on February 8. This advertisement not only marks the beginning of a new advertising campaign but also represents a significant shift in the brand’s marketing strategy, which warns of a more serious and aggressive approach against its eternal rival, Coca-Cola. The Pepsi Bears Over the years, Pepsi has maintained a prolonged rivalry with Coca-Cola, primarily manifested through a series of advertisements that have been more about jokes than direct attacks. Without […]
Pepsi has confirmed that it will launch a new advertisement during Super Bowl LX, which will take place on February 8. This advertisement not only marks the beginning of a new advertising campaign but also represents a significant shift in the brand’s marketing strategy, indicating a more serious and aggressive approach against its eternal rival, Coca-Cola.
The Pepsi Bears
Over the years, Pepsi has maintained a prolonged rivalry with Coca-Cola, primarily manifested through a series of advertisements that have been more about jokes than direct attacks. However, in this new attempt, it seems that Pepsi is ready to adopt a more forceful tone. The advertisement focuses on a character that consumers will recognize as a symbol of loyalty towards Coca-Cola, which could indicate that the brand is looking to capture the attention of the most loyal followers of the competitor.
Although the exact details of the announcement’s content are kept secret, the campaign is expected to go beyond simple rivalry and address themes of authenticity and brand preference. Additionally, it is rumored that in this effort, Pepsi may try not only to attract Coca-Cola consumers, but also to provoke a broader conversation about the culture of soda consumption in general.
This type of advertising, which emphasizes a more serious and challenging tone, could mark a new chapter in the long history of competition between these two giants of the beverage sector. The airing of the ad during one of the most-watched sporting events of the year can generate a great stir, and it will undoubtedly be a hot topic for marketing enthusiasts and the media in general.
It’s hard to understand why a company valued at nearly 300 billion dollars needs to save about 100,000 dollars by commissioning a good Christmas ad from a reputable advertising agency. But, for reasons that escape us mortals, this is what they have decided to do again in 2025, betting on artificial intelligence. And the result is terrible. Coca-Cola has once again used generative AI to reinvent its classic Christmas ads (those with the Coca-Cola truck and Santa Claus traveling the roads of the United States) and, in doing so, they have […]
It’s hard to understand why a company valued at nearly 300 billion dollars needs to save about 100,000 dollars by commissioning a good Christmas ad from a reputable advertising agency. But, for reasons that escape us mortals, this is what they have decided to do again in 2025, betting on artificial intelligence. And the result is terrible.
Coca-Cola has once again used generative AI to reinvent its classic Christmas ads (those with the Coca-Cola truck and Santa Claus traveling the roads of the United States) and, in doing so, they have unintentionally killed the festive joy you felt for the brand.
After receiving criticism for airing three AI-generated Christmas ads last year featuring sliding wheels and unsettling faces, the company has doubled down with a new AI-based Christmas campaign that is even more visually shocking than the first.
An ad made with AI that looks like it’s from 2022
The announcement “Holidays Are Coming” tries to sidestep the issues of AI when it comes to creating realistic human beings, instead presenting a cast of various animals.
There is no coherent style, as it alternates between an attempt at realism and a cartoonish look with bulging eyes, and the polar bears, pandas, and sloths move unnaturally, like flat images that have been carelessly animated.
The only notable improvement is that the wheels of the iconic Coca-Cola trucks spin continuously this year, instead of sliding statically over snow-covered roads. The Wall Street Journal reports that Coca-Cola has partnered with Silverside and Secret Level for its latest holiday campaign, two of the AI studios that already worked on Coca-Cola’s 2024 holiday ads.
We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Coca-Cola for the second time for the “Holidays are Coming” AI film. Last year was a cultural milestone, and this year, through animated characters, we bring magic across the globe with the arrival of the Coca-Cola trucks. pic.twitter.com/DpRKL8EZLG
According to The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola has refused to comment on the cost of the new Christmas campaign, but has stated that around 100 people have participated in the project, a figure comparable to that of the company’s old productions without AI. Among them are five “AI specialists” from Silverside who contributed by generating and refining over 70,000 AI video clips.
The future they want is of AI, despite its poor audiovisual quality
This comes at a time when AI tools are rapidly improving to replace the manual work done by creative professionals, raising concerns about job opportunities in the future.
Google has also presented this year its first advertisement generated entirely by AI, stating that consumers really don’t care if the ads are created using this technology.
And Coca-Cola is firmly betting on its use in advertising, as explained in The Verge, despite the issues in previous campaigns, such as an April ad that invented a fake book by author J.G. Ballard.
Those past mistakes seem worth it for Coca-Cola, as the company’s marketing director, Manolo Arroyo, told The Wall Street Journal that their latest Christmas campaign was cheaper and faster to produce compared to traditional production.
“Before, when we were doing the shooting and all the standard processes of a project, we would start a year in advance,” Arroyo explained to the publication. “Now, it can be done in about a month.” And he says it with pride, as if doing it in less time is worth it, despite producing an infinitely worse and less memorable product.
It’s hard to understand the reason why a company valued at nearly 300 billion dollars needs to save about 100,000 dollars by commissioning a good Christmas ad from a reputable advertising agency. But, for reasons that escape us mortals, this is what they have decided to do again in 2025, betting on artificial intelligence. And the result is terrible. Coca-Cola has once again used generative AI to reinvent its classic Christmas ads (those with the Coca-Cola truck and Santa Claus traveling the roads of the United States) and, in doing so, they have […]
It’s hard to understand why a company valued at nearly 300 billion dollars needs to save about 100,000 dollars by commissioning a good Christmas ad from a reputable advertising agency. But, for reasons that escape us mortals, this is what they have decided to do again in 2025, betting on artificial intelligence. And the result is terrible.
Coca-Cola has once again used generative AI to reinvent its classic Christmas ads (those with the Coca-Cola truck and Santa Claus traveling the roads of the United States) and, in doing so, they have unintentionally killed the festive joy you felt for the brand.
After receiving criticism for airing three AI-generated Christmas ads last year featuring sliding wheels and unsettling faces, the company has doubled down with a new AI-based Christmas campaign that is even more visually shocking than the first.
An ad made with AI that looks like it’s from 2022
The announcement “Holidays Are Coming” tries to sidestep the issues of AI when it comes to creating realistic human beings, instead presenting a cast of various animals.
There is no coherent style, as it alternates between an attempt at realism and a cartoonish look with bulging eyes, and the polar bears, pandas, and sloths move unnaturally, like flat images that have been carelessly animated.
The only notable improvement is that the wheels of the iconic Coca-Cola trucks spin continuously this year, instead of sliding statically over snow-covered roads. The Wall Street Journal reports that Coca-Cola has partnered with Silverside and Secret Level for its latest holiday campaign, two of the AI studios that already worked on Coca-Cola’s 2024 holiday ads.
We are incredibly proud to have partnered with Coca-Cola for the second time for the “Holidays are Coming” AI film. Last year was a cultural milestone, and this year, through animated characters, we bring magic across the globe with the arrival of the Coca-Cola trucks. pic.twitter.com/DpRKL8EZLG
According to The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola has refused to comment on the cost of the new Christmas campaign, but has stated that around 100 people have participated in the project, a figure comparable to that of the company’s old productions without AI. Among them are five “AI specialists” from Silverside who contributed by generating and refining over 70,000 AI video clips.
The future they want is of AI, despite its poor audiovisual quality
This comes at a time when AI tools are rapidly improving to replace the manual work done by creative professionals, raising concerns about job opportunities in the future.
Google has also presented this year its first ad generated entirely by AI, stating that consumers really don’t care if ads are created using this technology.
And Coca-Cola is firmly betting on its use in advertising, as explained in The Verge, despite the issues in previous campaigns, such as an April ad that invented a fake book by author J.G. Ballard.
Those past mistakes seem worth it for Coca-Cola, as the company’s marketing director, Manolo Arroyo, told The Wall Street Journal that their latest Christmas campaign was cheaper and faster to produce compared to traditional production.
“Before, when we were doing the filming and all the standard processes of a project, we would start a year in advance,” Arroyo explained to the publication. “Now, it can be done in about a month.” And he says it with pride, as if doing it in less time is worth it, despite producing an infinitely worse and less memorable product.
Visual novel developer Kotaro Uchikoshi, known for his work on titles like The Hundred Line and the Zero Escape series, recently expressed his interest in reviving a cult classic: Pepsiman. This video game, released in 1999, was never distributed outside of Japan, but despite its limited availability, it has gained a special status among retro video game enthusiasts due to its unusual concept and gameplay, making it a nostalgic phenomenon. Pepsiman could return if Pepsi agrees. The story began when Pepsi’s official Twitter account asked […]
The visual novel developer Kotaro Uchikoshi, known for his work on titles like The Hundred Line and the Zero Escape series, recently expressed his interest in reviving a cult classic: Pepsiman. This video game, released in 1999, was never distributed outside of Japan, but despite its limited availability, it has gained a special status among retro video game enthusiasts due to its unusual concept and gameplay, making it a nostalgic phenomenon.
Pepsiman could return, if Pepsi agrees
The story began when Pepsi’s official account on Twitter asked its followers if they should create a new game based on Pepsiman, generating a great deal of engagement and response from the community. Many users recalled the game’s peculiarity, where the protagonist, dressed in a Pepsi suit, had to run through the streets dodging obstacles like giant cans while saving dehydrated citizens.
Uchikoshi, who was a 3D modeler on the original development team of Pepsiman, offered to connect Pepsi with his former colleagues in response to the post. However, his proposal has not received a response so far. Despite this, interest in Pepsiman has resurfaced, evidenced by the growing conversation and nostalgia surrounding the title, which has reached high prices in the collectibles market.
Since his work on Pepsiman, Uchikoshi has evolved as a developer, creating acclaimed titles that have made a mark in the video game industry. The possibility of a Pepsiman 2 is not completely ruled out, which has excited fans who dream of new adventures of the iconic hero. With the mix of nostalgia and the current relevance of the game, the future of Pepsiman could be brighter than many imagine.
